1) Your degree is brought up during just about any family event.

Whether its a family reunion, Sunday dinner, or Christmas, your relatives are constantly asking about your career choice. They are either very supportive or very critical, judging you for choosing this instead of that. It's hard to deal with the negativity, especially since you're happy to be going to school as an artist. Sometimes family can be very helpful, but other times their advice can be downright ignorant. That's when you have to learn to let their comments slide because in the end, the only one worth pleasing is yourself.

2) People don't consider your degree a "real one."

“Well, you’re just trying to find your place in life.” “You’re going through a phase.” “Creative Writing isn’t a real degree.” “Do you even have a plan after college?” I’ve heard all of these comments and then some. My old best friend told me that my degree wasn’t a “real” degree. It’s hard when loved ones criticize you for your career choice, but you chose it, and as long as you’re happy then that’s all that matters.

3) Money isn't everything to you.

I remember having a conversation with my uncle during the second half of my senior year of high school. I was arguing with him over what I would be going to school for, and in the end, I told him that I would rather do something I loved than to get a degree for something just because of the money. He concluded that I’d end up being a poor girl. He wasn’t necessarily wrong. There’s not much money in my bank account lately, but I would rather be happy and poor than to be rich and miserable. There’s more to life than dollar bills and it’s sad to see that some people just don’t understand that.

4) You believe in working hard for something you love.

You chose to go to school for a profession that you love, and not everyone can admit that. I had a friend who went to school to become a medical doctor solely to make her parents proud. I can understand how parents have a major influence on what we decide to do, but keep in mind that your parents aren’t living your life, you are.

5) You work hard, maybe even harder than other degrees.

I know my friends studying to become doctors and going to school for engineering will fight me on this, but it’s true. Art students work harder because in many cases, we need to defend our reasoning for going to college for art or music or writing. We have to put up with all of the negativity and doubts from others, including family. We usually criticize our artwork harshly and nothing is ever good enough, but we still do it. We get up every morning and create, despite the ignorant comments we hear on a daily basis about our career choice. We are fierce, we are creative, and we are determined to succeed.